Three Cabinet ministers
including President Rupiah Banda’s special advisor at State House Differ Mulimba
escaped death after this ZAF plane crash landed at Kasempa's Mukinge Airstrip on
Saturday.

A Zambia Air Force (ZAF) plane
carrying three Cabinet ministers who were part of President Rupiah Banda’s
entourage yesterday crash landed at Mkinge Airstrip in Kasempa.

Works
and Supply minister Mike Mulongoti, who was on board the plane with Finance
minister Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane and Community
Development minister Michael Kaingu, confirmed the plane
accident.

The incident happened around 11:00 hours, but ZAF officials
declined to comment on the matter, saying they were still
investigating.

However, Mulongoti said it seemed the pilot miscalculated
when he landed in the middle of the airstrip.

He said when the pilot
observed that he would overrun the runway, he applied brakes and the plane went
off course into a nearby bush where it stopped.

Mulongoti said the left
wing of the plane and the wheels were damaged but all those on board escaped
unhurt.

The three ministers were part of President Banda’s advance party
to the Nsakwa yaba Kaonde traditional ceremony, which was held in Kasempa
yesterday.

President Banda has this year made trips to several countries
and towns within Zambia, shrugging off his critics’ demands for him to minimize
on the travels to save tax payers’ money.

In the last four days, the
President has made two trips to the Copperbelt and North Western provinces “to
commission and inspect projects”.

President Banda travelled to the
Copperbelt last Wednesday for a three-day working visit and travelled back to
Lusaka on Friday to launch the National Census programme.

Yesterday,
President Banda left for Kasempa, North Western Province, to attend the Nsakwa
yaba Kaonde traditional ceremony after which he will proceed to Mongu to
commission the construction of the Mongu-Kalabo road in Western
Province.